Parents nab sex offender allegedly taking photos of kids

Tumwater police arrested a registered sex offender Thursday for taking photos of young children at a Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer.

According to police, a mother shopping at Wal-Mart said Randy Russell Smith, 54, was using his phone to take pictures of her 6-year-old daughter. He got away after the mother confronted him.

While police were investigating at the Wal-Mart, they received another call at the Fred Meyer next door.

"While (officers) were at Wal-Mart, they were dispatched to a disturbance at the Fred Meyer, which is basically next door, and came in contact with two males who had apprehended the suspect," explained Tumwater Police Detective Jennifer Kolb.

Kolb said a father at Fred Meyer caught Smith taking photos of his daughter in the store's dressing room. With the help of another customer, they held Smith down until police arrived.